Fruits comes in different sizes, shapes and in different colors. Red fruits also comes in all sizes and shapes. Eating red fruits can be good for our body. Red fruits are not just lovely to look at, and delicious but are known to be extremely healthy too as it helps boost immune system. With lots of health benefits we can get from eating red fruits. There are different varieties of red fruits out there. That is why in this article, we will identify the different types of red fruits to be able to understand the differences of these red fruit variants.
Different Types Of Red Fruits
Below is a list of the common types of red fruits and vegetables that is available in any grocery store and supermarkets or you can easily grow in your backyard.
Red Fruits are typically divided into:
- Drupes (stone Fruits)
- Citrus fruits
- Berries
- Pomes
- Pepo
It is also possible to divide red fruits according to:
- Exotic
- Tropical
- Everyday fruit
Although there are some red fruit also categorized as vegetables, but they are still classified botanically as Red Berries.
Orange pumpkins and Green Cucumbers classified as fruits in a botanical sense. While a watermelon, which is a red pepo fruit but with a green skin.
Strawberry (Fragaria Ananassa)
Strawberries are a type of red fruit with tiny seeds on its skin. It is shaped like a triangle or some are round shaped. The tiny seeds on the skin of the strawberries fruit is what makes these fruit easy to recognize.
Even if strawberries are called berry, it is not a true berry but rather a type of aggregate fruit.
Strawberry is colored red because it is rich in anthocyanins, a pigment that is found in plants to gives health benefits. Strawberries are high in Fiber, rich in vitamins and powerful antioxidants, high in potassium and manganese. Strawberries are also low in calories.
Raspberry (Rubus)
Raspberries are small sized red fruit is characterized as having a bumpy exterior. It taste sweet but with a touch of delicious tartness. The small red receptacles (bumps) contains a seed, a single seed.
Similar with Strawberries, Raspberries is not a berry but a type of aggregate fruit.
Raspberries have health benefits too. It is a good source of antioxidants that slows and prevents damage to our cells caused by free radicals. Raspberries are also a good source of Vitamin C, Gallic, Ellagic and Quercetin acid. Also Known to contain anti cancer properties.
Although Raspberries are usually hues of bright red to dark red, there are however other colors of raspberries such as purple, yellow, black and Pink.
Raspberries are perfectly delicious fruit used for when making and eat summer pudding.
Red Apple (Malus domestica)
We are all familiar with Apples, especially the red ones. It is in fact the most common types of red fruit out there. Red apples comes in different sizes, it can be small or can go as large.
Red apples have different varieties such as:
- Envy- medium-sized red apple that appears to have a ruby red and yellow skin. It also taste sweet.
- Red Delicious- an apple with burgundy skin (dark). It has a sweet but mild taste with a hint of tartness.
- Pink Lady- another red apple variety that has a skin that appears to be bright red and waxy. Small white speckles are also evident. It taste taste sweet with a little tartness
- Honeycrisp – another red apple variety wherein the skin is a little mottled. The colors appears to be either yellow, green or bright red.
Red Cherry (Prunus cerasus or Prunus avium)
Red Cherries are small fruits wherein the taste depends on its variety. It can either be sweet or has a sour taste.
Sweet red cherries have dark red skin, and are deliciously sweet. While, sour cherries on the other hand have different color varieties such as dark red to light red.
If you have cherry trees at home, you will notice the beautiful pinkish-white spring blossoms of its flowers.
Red Plum
Red plums is another variety of red fruit. These are round or oval drupes (the outer flesh of the fruit typically surrounds a shell with the seed on the inside).
Similar to cherries, Red plums have a sweet taste but sometimes a tart taste.
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)
Watermelon, thought its skin is not a red color but it is still considered to be a red fruit variety because of its juicy red flesh.
You cannot go wrong with identifying a watermelon fruit since it appears to be large, either round or oval shaped, the skin is light green with identifiable greens stripes. When you cut through the fruit, it you will see a thick red to deep red color flesh. Typically have small black seeds inside, but there are also seedless watermelon available.
Red Pear (Pyrus)
Red Pears is a type of pomes with dark wine to red skin, therefore it is another red fruit variety. It appears to have a round bottom but with a thinner shape on top. Aside from red pears, there is also another pear variety that has a green skin color, but with red blushing too.
Pears have different flavors, sometimes spicy, sometimes sweet and sometimes with a hint of tanginess.
Red Anjou, a medium sized fruit that is shaped like an egg is the most variety of Red pears.
Red Chokecherry (Prunus Virginiana)
Red Chokecherries is a type of red fruit that is small, round shaped with dark red to black berry drupes that usually grows on small sized trees.
Red Chokecherries gas a sour and bitter taste. Similar to strawberries, it also contains anthocyanins, a pigment that makes the fruit color as dark red to black color especially when it ripens.
Blood Orange (Citrus x Sinensis)
Although as the name suggest, Blood Oranges fruit lacks Anthocyanins, the pigment that make the fruit red therefore this type of fruit appears to have a bright orange peel instead of a red peel. But when you slice the blood orange fruit, it will reveal a dark red flesh with an unusual raspberry like taste.
Red Grapefruit (Citrus x Paradisi)
Red Grapefruit may have a deep orange skin, but when you slice it up it has a dark red flesh. Its taste can either be sour, sweet or acidic. These oval shaped or round shaped fruit usually grows as clusters on its trees.
Rambutan (Nephelium Lappaceum)
Rambutan is a small red fruit with spikes and appears to have a rough appearance. It usually grows as clusters dropping on rambutan trees.
Rambutan are oval shaped or round shaped red fruit that when you open it reveals a translucent pink or white flesh. The taste of the flesh is sweet.
Red Durian Fruit (Durio)
Red Durian fruit is a type of Red spiky fruit, but this kind of fruit is not common and are rarely found available in store simply because it can only be found in Borneo (Sabah) that is why it is also called Sabah Durians.
Red Durian Fruit is characterized as having spiky green casing or sometimes yellow casings. It appears to be oblong-shaped fruit that usually grows between 4 inches to 7 inches long.
Cranberry (Vaccinium subg. Oxycoccus)
Cranberry is a type of tiny red berries. It usually grow in clusters on its shrubs and vines. Red Cranberry have a tart and acidic taste. While cranberries with sour taste are usually round or oval shaped and has a smooth skin. It usually measures about 0.5 inches in diameter.
Cranberries are also know for as Red winter fruit since harvesting usually happens in October.
Red currants
Red Currant is another type of red berries variety that are somehow similar to Gooseberries.
These tiny round red fruit usually grows on small bushes and in batches. It appears to have a shiny and smooth red skin and a red flesh.
Red currants fruit tends to have a sharp sour taste that is why it usually used for in making preserves, jams and jellies.
Red Grapes (Vitis)
Red Grapes are known for, especially the small grapes in making red wine, grape juice, currants and or raisins . It is another red berries variety that usually grows in clusters on the fruit trees.
For Dark colored grapes, it typically has a deep red to purple skin and the flesh is dark red.
Whereas large grapes are usually used for serving as everyday fruits snack.
Red Prickly Pears
Prickly pear is also known as Opuntia. It is a type of exotic red fruits with a reddish-pink bumpy skin. Red Prickly pear fruit is not a poisonous fruit, in fact the entire fruit is edible. It actually has a sweet taste and as a juicy red fruit similar to that of a watermelon.
Prickly pears are used to lower blood pressure, helps lose weight and is good for heart health.
Red Passion Fruit (Passiflora)
Red Passion fruit is a type of exotic red fruit with a diameter measurement of 3.5 inches. It appears to have a deep red to purple skin with greenish pulpy flesh. The fruit also contains many seeds inside. Passion fruits is a popular fruit known for its sweet flesh.
There are two varieties of passion fruit: the red-purple variety and the yellow variety wherein the former is smaller than the latter.
Pomegranate (Punica granatum)
Pomegranate are large round shaped red fruit that is typically filled with about 200 to 1,400 seeds. The seeds on pomegranate fruit are in an aril. These type of red fruits appears to have a thick skin similar to that of an apple fruit.
Pomegranate fruits are easy to identify because of its crown like structure. Pomegranate taste great too.
Red Dragon Fruit – Pitaya (Selenicereus costaricensis)
Red Dragon Fruit is considered to be a tropical fruit. It appears as having bright red-pink skin with deep magenta colored flesh. The texture of Red Dragon fruit is similar with the texture of a Kiwi Fruit, both having the same sweet taste, and juicy too. Red Dragon fruit is also called as Fire Dragon Fruit.
Red Mango Fruit (Mangifera Indica ‘Irwin’)
Mango skin comes in different colors such as red, green, yellow but mangoes typically has an orange flesh.
The red mango fruit has a red skin and a yellow flesh that is sweet. It is usually an oval-shaped fruit that weighs about 340 to 450 gtams.
Conclusion
There are other red fruits and vegetables but the most common red fruits are the ones mentioned in this article. Because red fruits or all fruits in particular is loaded with essential nutrients for one’s optimal health, it is best to include fruits especially red fruits in your diet everyday.
Which of these red fruits have you tasted so far and which ones are your favorite? Let us know what you think.